Electric Cars' Range Is Expected to Vary

Robert Lutz, General Motors Co.'s vice chairman, said Monday that the first buyers of electric vehicles may be unpleasantly surprised by how quickly the batteries run down during certain driving conditions.
GM plans to launch its battery-powered Chevrolet Volt in California later this year, and said Monday that Michigan would be the second launch state in 2010. The auto maker has promised the car will travel 40 miles on battery power alone, and then draw from a gasoline engine to keep the vehicle going once the charge has been spent.
Mr. Lutz said he drove one of the early vehicles for a weekend recently and found that, during a Michigan winter, the battery's range was only 28 miles.
Weather, driving conditions and drivers' behavior can cause the battery range to vary far more than mileage on a traditional vehicle.
GM is banking on the Volt to help create a green image similar to Toyota Motor Corp.'s success with its Prius hybrid. —Sharon Terlep